Arthritis
Physiotherapy will not reverse joint changes. It reliably reduces pain, improves what you can do, and often postpones surgery by years.
Common symptoms
- , The joint hurting more the more you use it
- , Stiff first thing, loosening within half an hour
- , Not bending or straightening as far as it used to
- , A grinding feeling through the movement
- , Puffiness after a heavy day
Common causes
- , Age-related cartilage change
- , Previous joint injury or fracture
- , Years of heavy physical work
- , Muscle weakness around the joint
- , Family history
The scan does not decide your outcome
X-ray findings and pain correlate poorly in arthritis. People with marked changes often function well; people with mild changes are sometimes in real pain.
That is genuinely encouraging, because it means the joint’s appearance is not your destiny. Strength, movement and load management determine how much it hurts and what you can do.
The spiral worth breaking
The instinct with a sore joint is to protect it. Over months that weakens the supporting muscles, which puts more load through the joint, which increases pain, which encourages more protection.
Reversing that is most of the treatment. We find the loading your joint tolerates now and build from there, without pretending it will be fast.
Before you accept surgery as inevitable
For many Nakuru patients, joint replacement means travelling to Nairobi, paying considerably more, and organising rehabilitation at a distance. Given that, a proper trial of strengthening first is not just clinically reasonable: it is practically sensible. If it works, you have avoided a great deal. If it does not, you go into the operation stronger, which produces a better result anyway.
How we treat it
- , Building the muscles that take load off the joint
- , Keeping the movement you have
- , Pacing so a good day does not cost you three bad ones
- , Needling where pain is limiting the exercise
- , Getting the right stick or frame if one is needed
Typical recovery: Ongoing management; most people improve within 6–12 weeks
See a doctor urgently if you have
- !A single hot, red, acutely swollen joint with fever
- !Sudden severe joint pain with no clear cause
- !Marked unexplained weight loss with joint pain
- !Joint pain with widespread rash or feeling unwell
These are not physiotherapy problems. Go to a doctor or hospital rather than booking with us.
Treatments that help
Common questions
Will exercise wear my joints out faster?
No, and this belief does more harm than the arthritis in many cases. Appropriate exercise strengthens the muscles supporting the joint and is one of the few treatments with consistently strong evidence. Inactivity makes arthritis worse.
Can I avoid a knee replacement?
Often it can be delayed considerably, and for some people avoided. That matters here: a replacement usually means surgery in Nairobi, significant cost, and months of rehabilitation. A serious trial of strength work first is a reasonable thing to ask for.
Is this just old age?
Partly, but treating it as inevitable is what turns manageable arthritis into lost independence. Pain and function respond to treatment at any age; the X-ray does not have to change for you to feel considerably better.
Book a physiotherapist in Nakuru
Clinic appointments in Milimani, or a physiotherapist at your door across Nakuru. Same-week slots.